Every Stephen King Adaptation Currently in the Works

Get ready for even more movies from the author of “IT.”

With the record-breaking success of IT, we’re sure to see a lot more Stephen King movies set up around Hollywood. Just today, one was announced based on the short story “Suffer the Little Children.”

Of course, King has been a consistently popular author for adaption for 40 years (resulting in 40-plus movies already available), so any new options and developments will be added to the many already in the works or finished and releasing soon.

Some of these may not be correct in their status (going by IMDb Pro listings), though it’s fair outlook on what we have to look forward to. We’ll update as we learn more.

1922

King’s 2010 novella of the same name about a man conspiring with his own son to murder their wife/mother has been adapted into a feature starring Thomas Jane. The movie premieres this month at Fantastic Fest before hitting Netflix on October 20th.

Bad Little Kid

Laurent Bouzereau, who mostly helms making-of docs, is supposed to direct a movie of King’s 2014 short story of a man tormented by a non-aging bully for decades.

The Breathing Method

Blumhouse has the option for the 1982 novella about guys telling each other stories, one of them of a woman who gives birth to her child even after she’s decapitated. Doctor Strange director Scott Derrickson is still linked to helm the movie, which has been in limbo for a few years.

Creepshow

A fourth Creepshow anthology, also labeled as a reboot, has long been in development with Vertigo Entertainment, one of the companies behind IT. But rights to the Creepshow brand are among those reclaimed by King, so it’s unlikely current plans will come to fruition.

Doctor Sleep

Based on King’s The Shining sequel, this one was set up at Warner Bros. last year with Akiva Goldsman writing the screenplay and the author serving as an executive producer. Current status is unknown.

The Doctor’s Case

King’s 1987 Sherlock Holmes short story has been turned into a Kickstarter-funded short film arriving October 14th.

Drunken Fireworks

From the makers of Spring Breakers, an adaptation of King’s 2015 short story will see a story of a fireworks display competition hit the big screen. Matt Rager, whose writing credits only include James Franco directorial efforts, wrote the screenplay.

Duma Key

Tom Holland, who helmed episodes of The Langoliers and the feature King adaptation Thinner, is working on a movie based on the 2008 novel about a man whose life changes after a near-death accident. The production renewed the option on the book this summer.

Firestarter

Blumhouse was also supposed to produce a remake of Firestarter, previously adapted in 1984, for Universal. But the story, about a young girl with telekinetic fire-creating powers, is one of those King is reclaiming the rights to.

Gerald’s Game

Mike Flanagan (Ouiji: Origin of Evil) directed a movie of King’s 1992 novel about a woman who accidentally kills her husband while she’s handcuffed to a bed and trapped afterward. The feature, which stars Carla Gugino and Bruce Greenwood as the couple, debuts at Fantastic Fest this month then hits Netflix on September 29th.

Home Delivery

There’s already an animated short produced by Guillermo del Toro, but a feature adaptation of the 1989 zombie story has been in development with Ryuhei Kitamura (The Midnight Murder Train) expected to direct. Current status is unknown.

I Am the Doorway

The 1971 short story about an astronaut infected by an alien species was made into a short film by Czech director Robin Kaparik, and it’s currently on the festival circuit. Other adaptations are also in the works around the world.

IT: Chapter Two

The sequel to IT (aka IT: Chapter One) was officially greenlit last week ahead of the first movie’s release. Filming should start next Spring and if we were lucky we could get a quick turnaround in the fall, but it’s more likely to come in 2019.

The Jaunt

None other than IT director Andy Muschietti is attached to an adaptation of King’s 1981 teleportation short story. But status of the project has been unknown since first pitched in 2015.

Joyland

Tate Taylor, director of The Help, is attached to the adaptation of King’s 2013 coming-of-age novel about a young employee of an amusement park where a brutal murder took place years earlier. The movie’s development has been unknown for a few years.

Lisey’s Story

Josh Boone (The Fault in Their Stars) has been attached to an adaptation of King’s 2006 novel about a fan tormenting an author’s widow, but currently the development is unknown. King recently stated he’d like to see it made into a TV series.

The Long Walk

Frank Darabont, who made The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, and The Mist off King works, says he’s going to make King’s 1979 dystopian novel, published under his Richard Bachman pseudonym, someday and holds the option.

Mute

King’s 2007 short story of the same name about a salesman and a mute hitchhiker he picks up has been made into a 45-minute British film with a UK release date of August 31, 2018.

My Pretty Pony

A short Polish adaptation of King’s illustrated short story about a man teaching his grandson about time is currently playing festivals.

One for the Road

The 1977 short story sequel to “Salem’s Lot” has one indie feature adaptation due for limited release on Valentine’s Day 2018 and another set to star Lance Henriksen that will begin shooting early next year.

Overlook Hotel

A sort of prequel to The Shining inspired by King’s novel, this movie about the origin of the Overlook Hotel has been in development at Warner Bros. from the producers of the upcoming Suspiria remake. Mark Romanek is currently linked as director, but its status is currently unknown.

Pet Sematary

28 Weeks Later helmer Juan Carlos Fresnadillo is supposed to direct another adaptation of King’s 1983 novel about a cemetery where the buried come back to life for Paramount Pictures. Previously turned into a hit movie in 1988, the remake also has the interest of IT director Andy Muschietta. The studio is still tooling with the script.

The Reaper’s Image

An anthology including an adaptation of the title short story from 1969 about a supernatural mirror is in development from filmmaker Mark Pavia, who directed the King-based The Night Flier.

Rest Stop

Teenage filmmaker Andrew Cohen is writing and directing an adaptation of King’s award-winning 2003 story about a man who unleashes an alternate personality when he finds a woman being abused at a rest stop. Another adaptation is being made in England with a release date set for Halloween 2018.

Revival

Josh Boone (The Fault in Our Stars) is also apparently attached to this adaptation of one of King’s 2014 novels, which is about a minister who gives up on God and experiments with electricity after his wife and child are killed in an accident. To be produced by Michael De Luca (The Social Network), this project was just optioned last week.

Sleeping Beauties

King’s latest novel (co-written by son Owen), to be released later this month, was optioned earlier this year for a TV movie from the producers of True Detective and The Knick. The plot focuses on the inmates of a women’s prison during an incident where all the women of the world suddenly simultaneously fall asleep.

The Stand

Josh Boone (The Fault in Our Stars) has also been set to remake King’s epic post-apocalyptic novel of good vs. evil, and we’re likely to see this one move ahead following the success of IT. Matthew McConaughey won’t likely be involved anymore after the disappointment of The Dark Tower, however. CBS Films currently has the rights.

Suffer the Little Children

The first adaptation to be announced since the success of IT, King’s 1972 short story about a teacher driven mad by children doppelgangers will be written and directed by Sean Carter, who just finished his directorial debut, the horror film Keep Watching. Meanwhile, there’s also a short Russian adaptation of the story currently playing festivals.

The Talisman

King’s 1984 novel about a boy in search, through another dimension, of a talisman that will save his dying mother, has long been in development for a TV miniseries from producer Frank Marshall. But its status has been on hold and unknown for the past decade.